Temari's Birthday
by SEAubrey
Summary: "So. I hear it's your birthday today." In celebration of Temari's birthday, but it's in Shikamaru's POV. Slight fluffiness at the end, expect slight ShikaTem.


A/N: In celebration of Temari's birthday! Happy birthday, Tema-chan!~ Although it's Temari's birthday, this fanfic will be in Shikamaru's POV. Slight fluffiness at the end, expect slight ShikaTem, but I suck at romances, and I found that out the hard way, so I'm expecting flames. Oh well.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and the gang. Kishimoto does.

0.o.0.o.0.o

"So. I hear it's your birthday today."

Temari turned her head sharply to face me. "How'd you know?"

I shrugged as nonchalantly as I could. "I made a point to know my friends' personal information, especially their birthdays, so I wouldn't be considered ignorant for not knowing and thus not giving them well wishes."

"Hn." The troublesome woman walked on in silence with me by her side.

"So you're what, 18?" I asked after a prolonged pause, trying to make conversation.

"19, actually," She replied and sighed. "Doesn't feel like it," she murmured.

I heard, though, and asked the obvious follow-up question. "Why?"

"In Suna, when a female turns 19, their family and friends are to throw an elaborate birthday party for the teenager, symbolizing her maturing into a woman," she explained. "It would be the girl's first party as an adult, so there would be stuff like wine, beer, cigarettes… the sort of stuff children aren't allowed to have."

I nodded. We in Konoha also have this kind of tradition, but amongst their clan only. And it's for both males and females turning 20. "I see." I dug into my pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. "Want one?" I offered.

She shook my head. "No thanks. I did say that the lady is allowed cigarettes, but I personally hate them. I hate beer too. Wine is fine by moderation, though." She turned her head slightly towards me. "I thought you've given up smoking. Why do you still carry that around with you?"

I shrugged again, secretly visualizing myself rolling my eyes. Why do females always think I smoke every time they saw that I own a cigarette pack? "Sometimes, when I think about Asuma-sensei, I'd light one, so it would feel as if he's right here with me. I won't smoke it, though," I added with a bit of emphasis.

"Mmm."

We walked the rest of the way in silence to the Hokage tower, when I left Temari to let her report to Tsunade-sama. When I left the Tower, Ino and Sakura waved me over.

"Shikamaru!" Ino cried in my ear. Damn, she should stop doing that, my ear drums could burst one day. "What were you doing with Temari just now?" The girls looked at me with eager eyes for juicy gossip.

I rolled my eyes. "I'm just assisting her to Tsunade-sama. Ambassador's Assistant, remember?" I pointed to myself.

"Yes, yes," Sakura said impatiently, "But you _talked_ about something. What is it? Tell us!"

Just how long have they been following us?

"It's just her birthday today," I said with a sigh and repeated the conversation we had to them.

"Oh," Ino said, "She must be so sad. Being a Suna Ambassador, away from her brothers and friends, missing the party…" She wiped an imaginary tear from her eye. "Such a brave sacrifice. I feel for her."

"Yes, for once, I agree with you," Sakura said, her hands clasped to her chest.

Women can be _so_ dramatic.

"So?" I asked, exasperated. "It's not like _I_ can do anything about it, can I?"

As soon as the words escaped my lips, I noticed the ladies' eyes holding a familiar sparkle, and I realized I had made a huge, terrible mistake. And everyone calls me a genius.

"You did ask," Ino reminded me as she and her best friend pulling me away.

"This is going to be troublesome," I muttered.

0.o.0.o.0.o

"You want me to go _where_?" Temari exclaimed.

_Stop screaming into my ear_, I thought loudly to her, hoping she can pick up the vibe. "My house, okay?" I said aloud.

"But isn't that, like, the Nara clan property?" she asked. "Am I even _allowed_ to go there?"

She must have heard about my fight with Hidan, the creepy religious guy still buried in the forest. "The house is fine," he said, "Just don't wander off too far into the forest, and it's fine. Besides, we won't be going into the forest. It's fine," I insisted, seeing the look on her face. "Let's go already."

She followed me, a bit reluctant and suspicious, if I had to guess. Damn that Ino and Sakura.

I led her to the main compound, opening the gate and waving a hand in. "Ladies first," I said.

She stepped in and gasped at the mansion. I know how she feels. My home has that effect on people. Even Neji and Hinata reeled back a little, and _they_ live in the Hyuuga compound, the second largest piece of land a clan owns in Konoha. No prizes to the guess on which property is the largest. I've seen Temari's home in Suna before, and my house was at least three times bigger than hers. And that was when her little brother Gaara's Kazekage. I'm serious, I'm not bragging.

There was no more time to waste thinking this nonsense. I leapt back silently behind a tree, waiting for the blonde to go in.

"Why do you have such a big house?" I heard her ask, but I don't dare to look at her, least she sees me. I heard her mutter "ladies first, my foot," and her footsteps crunching on the gravel path to the main door. I quickly performed a hand sign, my shadow snaking out towards her.

I heard her knock on the door and say, "knock knock, anyone home?" sarcastically before my shadow joined hers, giving me total control over her body.

"Shadow possession jutsu, success," I muttered out of habit. I closed my eyes and put my hands on my ears, imagining Temari copying me. Picturing the living room, I guided her expertly to the big dining table in the middle of the room. I imagined the lights turning on and the others getting into position, party poppers in their hands.

Note to self: make everyone stay back to clean the room, or else I'd have to clean it myself. And you know how troublesome it can be with at least 10 poppers set off in the house, perhaps even more if Naruto uses his shadow clones to set off more.

Someone tapped me on my shoulder three times before a sudden breeze suggested that the person had disappeared with a poof. One of the said devil's shadow clones, perhaps. That was the signal. I released the jutsu and braced myself for the inevitable cries of…

"Happy birthday, Temari!"

Cheers filled the room, and as I poked my head through the gate, I saw streamers fluttering in the air. I walked into the house with a slight smirk, glad that I could trick Temari again. I saw her mouth open in a neat _o_ of surprise, and streamers surrounded her. Some of it was even stuck in her thick hair.

"Well?" Ino asked her, Sakura grinning behind.

"You did all this for me?" the birthday girl asked, a look of delight and surprise on her face.

Uh oh. I can tell what the girls will say next and began to inch away from them, but Sakura spotted me and –curse her strong grip- pulled me back.

Ino giggled. "Not us. Well, not us _only_. Shikamaru provided us with the nitty gritties." She pointed at me.

The Suna Ambassador looked accusingly at me.

"They forced it out of me!" I protested, my hands up in defense. "I wouldn't have planned such an elaborate party for you, it'll be too troublesome. But hey, these girls just can't let it go. Blame them!"

Her eyes darted to me. "You wouldn't have planned an _elaborate_ party for me," she repeated in a whisper, "so you would've planned an _unelaborate_ party?"

My lips twitched, and I can feel the heat rising in my face. "I don't think '_unelaborate'_ is a word," I muttered.

"Hn. Whatever. A _simple_ one then?"

I ducked my head down. "Maybe."

She smirked. "Well, I didn't know you were _so_ into older women." I looked up in disbelief and she laughed at my expression as she was pulled away to the laptop Kiba had placed on the table.

"I managed to set it up!" the animal lover said, clicking furiously at the mouse. "I got us a connection!"

"What connection?" Temari asked as she was pushed to the screen. We crowded around her.

"Okay," he said, ignoring the question. "We're going live in three… Two… One…" He clicked twice on the mouse and the black screen lit up, a brunette and a redhead looking back from the screen.

"Happy birthday, big sis!" they said.

"Kankuro! Gaara!" Temari cried out in joy. "But… how?"

"Webcam," Kiba said, tapping above a build-in camera at the top of the screen. "So I presume the laptop arrived in time?" he asked to the screen.

"Just," Kankuro replied. "Thanks for sending it over so quickly."

"Why did you ask for a new laptop?" Temari asked. "Doesn't Gaara's work just as well?"

"I need it for my work, Tem," the Kazekage said starkly. "And it's slow and doesn't have a webcam."

"This new laptop I have here is supposed to be _your_ birthday present from us," Kankuro said, "but, since you're away, I'm declaring it mine 'til you return! Thank you in advance!" He grinned at the screen.

"Kankuro, you bastard!" Temari yelled. "Don't you _dare_ download _anything_ onto the laptop -onto _my _laptop- or it may get destroyed by some random computer virus!"

The older brother's smile stretched a couple of molars wider. "Too late," he taunted, "I have already downloaded World of Warcraft."

"Why, you…!" Temari shook a fist at the screen. "I'll get you when I come back! And I'm coming back soon!"

"Argh!" He scrambled back and disappeared off screen. "Gaara! Quick! Change the house locks! Use your sand to reinforce the door!" we heard him cry out.

By now, everyone was laughing at the pantomime. Even Gaara has a half-smile on his usually expressionless face.

Once the siblings had finished exchanging empty threats, the focus was returned to the homemade two-layered cake, white and purple frosting patterned in spirals all over, with a yellow Suna logo piped on top and surrounded with sugar roses.

For the record, I _didn't_ make that by myself.

The traditional song was sung. Temari _almost_ used her huge fan to blow out the candles, but I stopped her in time with my shadow possession. She reluctantly used a smaller, but just as deadly, hand fan to cut the wicks below the flame and blow them into a ceramic bowl. Everyone applauded at the performance. While the cake was cut and served, Ino used the captured flame to light up the various aromatic candles around the house, the ones Mom uses whenever she was stressed. Glasses of both red and white wine were passed around too. I accepted a slice of cake and a glass of red wine and stepped out into a balcony hidden by a curtain, hoping no one would notice my absence and let me be alone with my thoughts.

I leaned on the metallic railing, the cake and wine on a side table. Although the sun hasn't set, the moon was already in the evening sky. I gazed at the full moon and quickly identified several of its biggest craters.

Unfortunately, I heard someone stepping into the balcony.

"Hey."

Damn, it was the guest-of-honor herself. I can't tell _her_ to leave me alone, it'd be rude.

"Hey."

Well, what else _can_ I do? Then again, the last time I asked that question, I did hell.

"What 'cha doing?"

Isn't it obvious?

As if she had heard my thoughts, she laughed once. "What am I asking you for, it's obvious you're not doing much. Purposely missing the party, if I had to guess." She joined me at the railings.

"So, where's my birthday present?" she asked as the sun began to set.

"It's all on the table over there." I pointed back towards the living room, my eyes still on the moon.

"I know. I looked through them, and I didn't find yours."

_Now_ I looked at her. "I've painstakingly arranged the whole surprise party for you, and you don't count it as a present?"

"Not by yourself you didn't," she retorted. "The two female control freaks helped you, that I know. And _they _got me presents, which I expected would be either clothes or make-up."

I laughed once. "You'd better hope the two didn't hear you, or they'll force you to try out your _gifts _immediately."

She chuckled. "Stop changing the subject," she said. "Okay, fine. First of all, thanks for the party. Second, what'd you get me?"

I shrugged. "I was too busy setting all this up. And I _did _offer you a cigarette."

"Well, I didn't accept it, so it doesn't count."

"Then does this count?"

I leaned over and lightly kissed her on the cheek.

There was a slight pause. Then, "yes. That does count. Thank you."

I shrugged. "No matter."

We stood there, watching the sun set.

When it has disappeared, we heard two voices belonging to the newly dubbed 'female control freaks' calling out for us.

"I guess we'd better go back," Temari suggested, "before I was really missed."

"I agree," I said, and added with a mutter, "Don't want them to jump to conclusions when they found us."

She heard me, though, and flashed a grin. "It's between us," she promised.

I nodded. Good enough for me.

A/N: YES! I have completed this just in time! Phew! Happy birthday, Temari-chan!

Isn't it weird that no matter how many years has gone by, all the Naruto characters will stay the same age? So Temari will stay 19 in the next year, and the next, and the next…

Review if you want, flames expected.


End file.
